Body identified in Oct. 15 fire in Montcalm County

The person found dead inside a barn in Bushnell Township after a fire Oct. 15 has been identified as Sidney Perry, 30, according to a press release from the Montcalm County Office of the Sheriff.

The Sheridan Fire Department was called to a barn fire at 2:34 a.m. on M-66 near Sessions Road in Bushnell Township. At about 7 a.m., fire fighters discovered what appeared to be the skeletal remains of a person inside.

Detectives from the sheriff's office were dispatched to the scene to investigate the death. Based on information gathered, detectives suspected the remains may be that of Perry, who was a local homeless man with a history of staying in vacant buildings in the area, the release said. A family member of the victim lived in the residence next to the bar several years ago, and the victim had been seen in the vicinity of the fire a few hours prior to the time of the call.

DNA results confirmed the identity of the remains. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, said the release.